IX

"A wolf from the Oh pack has been attacked by the hunters last night."

"They won't stop, will they?" Yoongi sighed. "Is he.."

"No, thankfully he's still alive." Jinyoung said. "But badly hurt. Doctor Im has been summoned to take care of him."

"I see." the leader nodded. "Will you call the Kim pack for me? Tell Namjoon that I'd like to meet him."

"Yes, master." the butler bowed. "And.. h-how do you feel?" he asked, fearing the older's reaction.

"What do you mean?"

"Uhm.. a-after what happened with Jimin.. he refused and.."

The older blushed thinking about what he did earlier in the morning.

Jimin looked very beautiful and breathtaking with his messy golden hair all over his soft skin and his pink plump lips half opened while sleeping.

He knew it was bad but he couldn't resist the urge to place his lips on his. He needed it.

He cleared his throat, chasing some dirty thoughts from his mind.

"I'm alright, thanks for worrying." Yoongi answered coldly. "Now, do what I asked for."

"Y-yes, master."

The black haired Alpha nervously rubbed the back of his neck and headed to the training field.

He had to supervise the young wolves who were training to defend themselves and protect the pack.

"Leader!" they all stood up and bowed to him.

"Gentlemen and...dear ladies." he said, looking proudly at the strong women, willing to fight for their lives. "I see that you're working hard, I am glad." he said, expressionless. "But I'm afraid we should put more efforts, I'm sure you heard about the male who got hurt yesterday night so I'll have to choose some of you, the most experimented of course to leave the training and go to the borders. We need more security.

"Yes, sir." ten young men approached him and bowed. "We'd like to go."

He nodded. "Be careful." he said. "Also, if any of you suspects anything don't hesitate to consult me."

"Yes!"

"Now, the reason why I'm really here is that I need to check your physical state. Doctor Im is quite busy right now and I cannot trust other doctors to be near my pack so thanks to my large medical knowledge, I'm volunteering to do the work."

"Oh leader, it's an honor for us to receive medical help from you." a woman smiled.

"The pleasure is all mine." he mumbled. "I have the list here." he pointed to a small notebook he brought. "I'll be calling your names one by one."

????

Jimin's POV:

I can't move from my bed.

Not because I'm still sleepy, not because I'm cold, not because my leg is hurt but because he kissed me, he fuxking kissed me do you realize?

I mean it's not like it's my first or anything but still it felt so weird to be kissed my someone like Yoongi. It was very strange to hear such sweet words from him, be offered a delicious breakfast and receive the most gentle kiss.

This is making me very confused.

I got up and took a bath, it needed to be quick and I had to be careful so that the water doesn't reach the wound.

Thanks to Yoongi's care, it was healing perfectly, I guess I just have two or three days left before he takes off the stitches.

I stared at the mirror and found myself blushing so hard. I felt my cheeks heaten the second his lips touched mine and it stayed like this until now.

How embarassing.

I opened the wardrobe to be welcomed by the fancy clothes he bought me.

I put on some dark grey skinny jeans and a black turtle neck shirt.

I felt bad to be wearing such expensive clothes when I'm just supposed to be a slave. What are the other servants gonna think?

I left my room and walked to the kitchen, carefully and slowly going down the large stairs.

"Oh, my!" the chef smiled widely when he saw me. "How nice it is to see you in my kitchen!"

"I bet you all missed me a lot." I smirked.

"Sure we did." he smiled. "Tell me, how is your leg doing? I heard the wound was horribly deep."

"I feel better now, it's healing well." I said.

"Our master is very skillful, indeed." he nodded. "But I heard that you hurt his feelings."

Again.

"Well." I rubbed the back of my neck. "It was very sudden to be honest, that's why I couldn't make a decision that easily."

"Yes, I do get what you mean but my dear.." he took my small hands and put them between his large ones. "When it comes to mates, there is no such a thing such as making decisions." he shook his head. "You are bound to be with him, this is what the heavens want."

"But what if I don't wanna be with him?"

"Well, to be honest I don't see why not." he rubbed his chin. "Our master is a very respectful man. He is calm, kind and very protective of his people. He is also very handsome so I don't see what you don't like about him."

I frowned, thinking that he may be right. He may.

"Well." I rubbed my head, thinking about a reason why I don't like Yoongi but.. "He.. he's rude. Yeah, he's rude." I cleared my throat.

The chef furrowed and crossed his arms. "As rude as my dear Jimin is? I don't think he is." he shook his head.

"Chef!" I whined.

"You should reconsider it, you know?" he added. "I understand that you don't like the fact that you're obligated to spend your life with someone you barely know, we all had the same thoughts before but you need to be more realistic. In addition to this, it's not like your mate is an old sixty years old fellow." he chuckled. "The master is a handsome young man in his twenties, you're lucky."

Lucky, my ass.

I rolled my eyes and left the kitchen. I looked through the window and spotted Hyungsik watering my favorite roses in the garden.

I felt the urge to run and join him but I remembered how scary Yoongi looked when he found us together downtown. I don't wanna be the cause of his death.

I sighed and left the mansion, but instead of walking to the garden, I headed to the training fields. It was 11am so I assumed the wolves of the Min pack would be training.

While walking, I spotted a group of young men taking off their training clothes and shifting into their wolf form. There were at least a dozen of them and each one looked very muscled and strong.

I arrived to the field and the first thing that caught my attention was Yoongi's back.

He has a broad back, which seemed well muscled through his black t-shirt

He has a broad back, which seemed well muscled through his black t-shirt. It was freezing outside but he didn't seem to be cold, despite the sleeveless shirt, but I can understand, the Alphas have a higher temperature than ours in their body and I must admit that I crave for it.

I kept observing him as he examined the young wolves. He seemed very serious and meticulous in doing his job. I had to guess that his dream was to become a doctor but his parents insisted he inherit the leadership position when he grows up. He didn't seem to be stressed or nervous by looking after their wounds or examining their claws and eyes. He seemed very sure of himself, knowing what he was doing exactly like that day when he treated my wound.

I saw how he knelt in front of a child who approached him. He was touching him like he had the most fragile body.

"Open your eyes wide, young man." I heard him mumbling to the boy.

He gently tested the sharpness of his teeth and examined the color of his tongue.

"Perfect." he said. "Now, will you lift up this shirt, I need to check your heartbeats."

I was surprised to see how incredibly gentle he was with the child. I just saw a side of him that I never really got the chance to witness before. But to be honest, I guess it's because of me that he has always been rude. Cuz I'm such an asshole too.

"Hihihi!" the child started laughing and agitating his body at the contact of the stethoscope.

"I know that it's tickling you, young men but please stay calm until I finish alright?"

"Hihihi! I-it's tickling!"

The child couldn't stop laughing and then I witnessed something more surprising and more amazing than a gentle Yoongi.

A smiling Yoongi.

I widened my eyes when I saw his thin lips form a small smile. He was watching the child as he laughed cutely and couldn't contain himself.

"Hahah! L-leader I'm sorry b-but it's really ticklish."

"More than this?" Yoongi took off the glove from his left hand and started tickling the boy's stomach.

"Ahaha!" the raven haired child layed on the floor, laughing out loud while Yoongi was tickling him, a large smile on his face.

Everyone was laughing and I found myself smiling along with them.

It was very beautiful to see. A strange thing is that they looked like a father and his son, very cute.

I pinched my arm and cleared my throat to stop thinking this way.

I froze when Yoongi suddenly lifted his head and caught me staring at him.

"Jihoon, you can join the others, I'll come back in a while." I heard him tell the child.

"Yes, leader!"

He ajusted his clothes and approached me.

He faced me and kept observing me from head to toe, making me feel very uncomfortable. "You wore them." he said, pointing at the clothes. "They look good on you."

A compliment..

"Thanks." I mumbled.

"So, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"I was just taking a walk." I simply answered. "I saw a bunch of guys leaving, what is happening?"

"The hunters attacked someone else yesterday." he said.

"Assholes." I clenched my fists. "What do they want exactly?"

"The end of the wolve's existence." he sighed. "But it's not gonna happen as long as I'm here." he added in a serious tone.

I stared at the trainees, they seemed to be working very hard. I also spotted a pregnant woman holding an arc.

"I trained my entire life and I was too weak in front of them." I mumbled, replaying the attack scene in my head.

"You were just not ready." he said. "You weren't prepared for an attack, it's normal because it has been quiet for years and they suddenly came. But once, you train more for a bit, you'll feel more confident."

"When can I start?"

He chuckled. "You seem very determinate."

"I wanna kill those bastards so badly." I groaned.

"So do I." he said. "But you can start until your wound heals and you feel completely healthy."

"Alright." I nodded. "But is it alright? I mean, I'm a servant now.."

"You're not a servant, you're a Beta and Betas are meant for the battlefields."

"Oh, really?" I crossed my arms. "Just a few days ago you said that I was just a slave."

He chuckled and nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "Because I was angry at that time."

"If you say so."

"You're not a servant Beta. They brought you here because of that stupid law, I never asked for a slave. But now that you're here, I think it's better for you to be on the protection team than be a servant. Plus, I won't let my mate work in the mansion."

My mate.

I observed how embarrassed and uncomfortable he was when he spoke the last words. He avoided my eyes and just stared at the floor.

"Well, I'll let you finish your job." I said.

"Where's are you going?"

"Don't know, I'll just keep on walking."

"Don't walk too far, okay?" he said, staring right into my eyes. "Be careful."

These last two words sounded like a sweet whisper through my ears. It sent shivers all along my body.

It's not a mate thing but it's because it's been a long time since someone worried about me. Since my mother's death.

All the people who surrounded me were there only for their own good. Some wanted popularity, some wanted sex and some just wanted to kill the time.

That's why it feels weird and strangely pleasing to hear those words from someone.

????

Taehyung's POV:

"Here it is! My special lasagna." Hoseok put our plates on the table with a proud smile on his face. "I called it the Hopelagna."

Really?

"Hope what?" I chuckled.

"Hopelagna, which means the lasagna that gives you hope."

"I still don't get it."

"After tasting it, you'll get me." he winked.

I cut a small piece and put it in my mouth.

"Watch out, it's hot."

I groaned when I felt the delicious taste of the tomato sauce along with minced meat caress my tongue.

"You get it now?" he chuckled.

It was so good that it makes you forget everything around you. I just imagines myself sitting along in the middle of a gigantic garden, surrounded by flowers in all kinds, in a beautiful date with my plate of lasagna.

That feeling sure gives you hope.

"Mm." I nodded before taking another mouthful.

"You look very cute when you eat." he said before wiping some sauce on the corner of my lips with his tumb.

"Thanks." I mumbled.

"You'll see that you'll never find someone who cooks as good as me." He said.

"Do I smell arrogancy?" I furrowed.

"No, it's just my admiration for you."

Oh, god.

I rolled my eyes. "Well there is actually someone who cooks better than you."

He widened his eyes. "What? Who?! Tell me his or her name now."

I smirked, looking at his surprised expression. "My older brother." I answered.

"Your brother?" he furrowed. "As in the blond who rejected the master?"

"Yeah, that blond." I mumbled.

"Mm, he has no shame and was very brave to reject him."

"And you are rude." I frowned.

"No, it's just that no one ever hurt the masters and he just did it without apologising or anything."

"Why would he apologise?" I stopped eating. "He did nothing wrong, he just doesn't like Yoongi, he's not obligated to be with him!"

"You don't choose your mate." the red haired said.

"Still, my brother isn't a bad guy as you all may think." I mumbled. "He's just having a hard time, partly because of me." I gulped, thinking again of all the things he has done for me during last year.

"Have you found your mate, Taehyung?" he suddenly asked.

My mate? I never thought about it.

"No." I shook my head. "I don't even understand how people find them. Do they feel something weird or anything like this?"

"Kinda." he nodded. "First you feel a very strong desire for that person, a special connection." he said, joining both his fists. "Like ours." he added with a smirk.

"Us?" I choked on my water. "I didn't feel anything."

"Outch." he dramatically put his hand on his heart. "Am I the only one who feels this way?"

"We don't even know each other that well." I shrugged.

"Uhm." he nodded. "Anyways, finish your plate."

While eating, the words desire and connection kept on floating in my mind.

What is the think I desired the most lately? A part of food, of course.

Desiring my freedom? My video games? It can't be this.

Let's think more, we are talking about people right now.

I have been around quite a lot of people lately, mostly the servants, my brother and his master etc.

Also, Jungkook. Yes, he's the one who's been a lot around me.

What do I feel when I'm close to him?

Uhm, well I feel kinda uncomfortable every time he approaches me.

I blush when I see his naked body, sometimes I would stay for a while in front of his wardrobe just smelling the sweet scent on his clothes and sometimes I would.. oh.. wait.

Wait, wait.

Is this normal?

I mean who would randomly smell someone's clothes?

How about when my eyes shift to yellow when he touches me or when I feel strangely very sad when he cries, talking to me about his brother?

Is this supposed to mean something?

"Ey!" Hoseok woke me up from my trance. "Are you okay, cutie?"

"Yeah." I nodded.

"You were in deep thoughts."

"It wasn't important."

"Tae?" I caught a strong smell and froze when I saw Jungkook standing just a little bit far from our table.

"Young master." Hoseok stood up and bowed to him.

"What are you doing?"

"Oh, I prepared a meal for Taehyung." the red haired smiled to him. "I thought he craved one of my delicious specialities."

Jungkook's eyes landed on mine, piercing them strongly, like he was trying to send a message.

"Well, uhm, enjoy your food." he mumbled coldly before leaving.

"He seems annoyed." Hoseok said. "Wonder what's happening."

"I finished my plate so I gotta go." I said before standing up. "Thanks for the meal, it was good."

"All the delight is mine." he took my right hand and placed a gentle kiss on it.

I followed Jungkook to the main hall.

He stopped walking and turned to me, his eyes were redder than fire and his fists were clenched.

He walked quickly toward me and snatched my right hand.

He examined it like he was looking for some traces. "Why were you with him?" he finally spoke.

"He invited me to taste his lasagna."

"You like lasagna?"

I nodded.

"You could have asked me to prepare it for you!"

Why is he shouting at me?

"What?" I furrowed. "But I can't ask you to cook for me." I chuckled. "You're the master, aren't you?"

"Yeah, but still." he sighed heavily. "Don't ask someone else, okay? Next time, I'll prepare you whatever you want."

Why is he suddenly acting like this?

"Jungkook, your eyes are shifting, are you alright?" I asked.

"I-I don't know." he rubbed the back of his neck. "I feel weird."

????

Yoongi's POV:

After finishing the examinations, I headed to my room and took a bath to relax for a moment.

I, then, headed to the dining room and found everything ready on the table. "You worked very hard master." the chef bowed to me and filled my cup with some wine.

"Thank you."

"Are you feeling better? If you need anything, I will prepare it for you right away." he said.

"I am feeling alright, thank you." I nodded. "I will call for you if I need something, don't worry."

"Perfect then!" he clapped his hands.

When I was finally alone and wanted to eat my dinner peacefully, Jinyoung approached. "Master, sir Namjoon said he'll be here in three hours, he said he had an urgent thing going on, something about his slave or.. I'm not sure I didn't get it."

His slave huh. I chuckled.

"Alright, thank you Jinyoung."

"I was wondering why you were letting that Beta wandering around whenever he wanted." he said.

I furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Well, he hurt you master, he deserves to be locked up or receives some hard tasks to feel what it is like to refuse an Alpha."

I frowned thinking that my butler's behavior may be one of the reasons why Jimin and his brother hate Alphas.

"What happened is between my mate and I, I cannot allow you to speak about it freely." I mumbled coldly.

I saw his ears getting red as he lowered his head. "S-sorry master."

~~

After I finished dinner, I wanted to take a walk in the garden. It wasn't snowing today so I took advantage of it to see how my roses were growing.

When I arrived, I spotted Hyungsik and Jimin giggling over something the gardener was reading on his phone.

Their laughters were irritating. I hated their combination.

But despite my anger and jealousy, I couldn't stop thinking that Jimin looked heavenly beautiful with the outfit I chose for him.

Dark grey and black were done for him.

I also liked how that turtle neck covered a very important part of his body, not letting anyone the chance to see it or desire to touch it.

Well, I partly chose it because of myself. Sometimes I feel like I won't control myself around him.

"Heheh." I heard him giggling again.

Annoying.

"Hum." I cleared my throat, making them raise their heads and staring at my direction.

They quickly parted from each other and widened their eyes, acting like they've seen a ghost.

"Master." the gardener bowed to me while Jimin just stared at me nervously, biting those lips I secretly tasted this morning.

"What are you d-"

"YOONGI!" someone was calling me.

I turned around and spotted a luxurious black car in front of the main gate.

Then I saw a blond and very tall guy running toward me.

I couldn't recognize him first, I kept staring at him confusingly while he was calling my name.

I even heard Jimin whispering, "Who's this?" to Hyungsik, making me smirk because he was at least interested.

As he approached and saw his eyes, I finally recognized him.

Shit.

Why in the world is he coming now at this moment?

Why is my eighteen years old father's friend's son doing here?

"Yoongi!" he jumped and hugged me.

I heard Hyungsik chuckle surely because of our height difference.

"I missed you so much! It's been three years!" the blond smiled to me and kept kissing my cheeks, making me uncomfortable.

"I'm finally eighteen!" he exclaimed with a giant smile.

Why is he telling me t- holy shit! No.

"Master, I was looking for y- oh we have a guest." Jinyoung arrived.

"Yeah, this is my butler Jinyoung." I told the boy. "Jinyoung, this is my father's friend's son, Lucas."

"Also his fiance."